Guwahati, April 12 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar admitted that despite posting a 200-plus total, his side was outplayed by Rajasthan Royals’ explosive batting, particularly singling out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s impact as the difference-maker.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led a powerful attack to kick off Rajasthan Royals’ chase, easily dismantling Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowling with bold shots as hosts continue to be on top with a six-wicket win over RCB. The teenager played with stunning audacity, his clean, powerful swings sending the ball racing to the fence at will, with 15 of his 26 deliveries fetching boundaries.

By the time he miscued one off Krunal Pandya, the damage had already been done, putting Rajasthan Royals firmly in control. Though they endured a brief wobble, slipping from 129/1 to 134/4, the foundation laid by Suryavanshi ensured the chase remained well within reach.

“Everyone would have loved seeing Vaibhav bat. The way Vaibhav and Yashasvi bat, it feels like the wicket isn’t doing much. The way we started in the powerplay, we lost wickets, getting to 200+ was a positive sign for us. In the same way, their batters, especially Vaibhav, made the difference. I think the way we are batting in the last matches was brilliant. There are a lot of learnings from this game,” said Patidar after the match.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a dramatic start as Jofra Archer dismissed Phil Salt with a sharp bouncer on the very first ball. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal countered well, putting together a quick 45-run partnership in just 17 balls, but Rajasthan responded strongly. Archer removed Padikkal, while Ravi Bishnoi changed the game with two quick wickets, bowling Kohli and getting Krunal Pandya out. Sharp fielding from Shimron Hetmyer made things worse for RCB. Jitesh Sharma also got out shortly after, leaving RCB struggling at 76/5 in 8.4 overs.

Romario Shepherd offered a brief counterattack, scoring a rapid 22 before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. Debutant Venkatesh Iyer then partnered with Rajat Patidar, shifting the momentum. Patidar went from a cautious start to a fast half-century, marked by several sixes. However, he ultimately fell to Sandeep Sharma. A late effort from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Iyer (29 off 15) helped RCB reach a good total of 201/8 in their 20-over quota.

Reflecting on the defeat, Patidar highlighted the positives with the bat but stressed the need to learn from mistakes, adding that while tactical calls like the Impact Player didn’t significantly affect the result, RCB would analyse their errors closely in such a competitive tournament.

“Yeah, but not that much because Venky and Shepherd were there. We had to manage those overs with three bowlers. It wouldn’t have made much difference. If you are playing this kind of competitive cricket, there will be a lot of errors. You have to look at them and learn from your mistakes.”

–IANS

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